According to the results of the 2015 Annual Survey of Economic Activities - Transportation, Storage and Courier Services Sector released today (November 30) by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD), total receipts (comprising business receipts and other income) of the transportation, storage and courier services sector amounted to $502.1 billion in 2015, representing a decrease of 3.8% compared with 2014; on a per establishment basis, total receipts decreased by 3.8% compared with 2014 to $20.0 million in 2015.

Operating expenses and compensation of employees of this sector altogether amounted to $426.3 billion in 2015, representing a decrease of 7.0% compared with 2014; on a per establishment basis, they decreased by 7.0% compared with 2014 to $17.0 million in 2015.

Gross surplus of the sector, which is equal to total receipts less operating expenses and compensation of employees, increased by 19.3% compared with 2014 to $75.8 billion in 2015; on a per establishment basis, gross surplus increased from $2.5 million in 2014 to $3.0 million in 2015. Gross surplus accounted for 15.1% of total receipts of this sector in 2015, up by 2.9 percentage points compared with 2014.

Value added of the sector, which is a measure of its contribution to Hong Kong's Gross Domestic Product, increased by 10.4% compared with 2014 to $149.4 billion in 2015; on a per establishment basis, value added was $6.0 million in 2015, which increased by 10.4% compared with 2014.

According to the survey results, it was estimated that the sector comprised some 25 100 establishments and engaged about 224 100 persons, or an average of 8.9 persons per establishment, in 2015.

Within the transportation, storage and courier services sector, the five largest industry groupings in terms of value added in 2015 were (1) air transport and service activities incidental to air transportation, (2) land passenger transport, (3) other transportation support activities, (4) land freight transport, and (5) cross-border water transport. They together accounted for 85.1% of the value added of the sector.

In the air transport and service activities incidental to air transportation industry, total receipts amounted to $154.6 billion while operating expenses and compensation of employees totalled $115.8 billion in 2015. Gross surplus increased from $28.2 billion in 2014 to $38.7 billion in 2015, accounting for 25.1% of total receipts in 2015. Value added increased by 21.2% compared with 2014 to $66.3 billion.

In the land passenger transport industry, total receipts amounted to $52.0 billion while operating expenses and compensation of employees totalled $35.7 billion in 2015. Gross surplus increased from $14.7 billion in 2014 to $16.3 billion in 2015, accounting for 31.3% of total receipts in 2015. Value added increased by 9.1% over 2014 to $30.0 billion.

In the other transportation support activities industry which comprised mainly cargo forwarders and shipbrokers, total receipts amounted to $113.4 billion while operating expenses and compensation of employees totalled $108.4 billion in 2015. Gross surplus decreased from $5.3 billion in 2014 to $5.0 billion in 2015, accounting for 4.4% of total receipts in 2015. Value added decreased by 5.2% compared with 2014 to $13.6 billion.

In the land freight transport industry, total receipts amounted to $20.1 billion while operating expenses and compensation of employees totalled $17.5 billion in 2015. Gross surplus increased from $2.5 billion in 2014 to $2.6 billion in 2015, accounting for 13.0% of total receipts in 2015. Value added decreased slightly by 0.8% compared with 2014 to $8.7 billion.

In the cross-border water transport industry, total receipts amounted to $98.8 billion while operating expenses and compensation of employees totalled $97.3 billion in 2015. Gross surplus decreased from $1.6 billion in 2014 to $1.4 billion in 2015, accounting for 1.4% of total receipts in 2015. Value added increased slightly by 0.8% compared with 2014 to $8.6 billion.

Selected statistics for the transportation, storage and courier services sector, with breakdowns by industry grouping, are shown in the attached table.

More detailed survey results on the transportation, storage and courier services sector will be given in the report "Key Statistics on Business Performance and Operating Characteristics of the Transportation, Storage and Courier Services Sector in 2015". Users can download this report (in PDF format) free of charge at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/hkstat/sub/sp340.jsp?productCode=B1080010) as from end-December 2016.

For enquiries about the key statistics on business performance and operating characteristics of the transportation, storage and courier services sector, please contact the Logistics and Producer Prices Statistics Section of the C&SD at telephone 3903 7255 or email transport@censtatd.gov.hk.